Five blogs PR professionals should read

Everyone knows the advantages of reading industry-related blogs. The practice arms us with new information pertaining to our work, which in turn allows us to stay abreast of trends and emerging practices, as well as giving us opinions and perspectives to chew on. But with a host of content on the internet, it’s impossible to cover them all. And why would you? Not all of them provide the same value in terms of quality, credibility and variety. So, to save you the effort, listed below are 5 blogs that deserve your time and attention – 

• The Holmes Report

Founded in 2000 by Paul Holmes, The Holmes Group provides the most comprehensive reporting of the PR industry. The blog boasts brilliant journalism written in long-form that talks about the issues, challenges and opportunities being faced by the business and practice of PR. Its Report Card research process undertaken throughout the year, reviews the performance of more than 400 PR consultancies across the world. Whether it’s the analysis of the happenings in the industry or insightful interviews from the current and emerging leaders in the PR and marketing industries, the blog has it all. 

• PRsay

The Public Relations Society of America, the largest society for PR professionals has a blog named PRsay which covers a host of areas, with a focus on the areas of thought leadership, PR training and career development. It offers career advice and strategies to improve work skills, to advance careers as well as tips to stay relevant and have a competitive advantage. The blog is especially beneficial to those who are interested in professional development as there’s a plethora of information available on just about anything related to PR.

• PR Daily

The blog owned by Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc. provides news, advice and opinions on topics like social media, media relations, crisis communications, writing & editing and marketing. Most articles are written by Beki Winchel and Ted Kitterman. The blog also serves as a place to talk about their training of professionals in public relations, corporate communications and management. The blog is updated with information and practical advice on public relations, social media, marketing and the media industry in a timely manner to help the readers stay on top of their game. Apart from this, they also host virtual and live events about which they post on the blog. 

• Spin Sucks

An award-winning blog, Spin Sucks was started with the idea of fighting the negative notion about PR and marketing industries in terms of it being just about spinning tales that have little relation to the truth. The aim of this blog is to help PR professionals and marketers be more aware of unethical practices and the people practicing them. The blog attracts conscious professionals who share the vision of the blog. Although Gini Dietrich, founder of Spin Sucks, is the main contributor, it does feature guest posts by entrepreneurs from varied industries well as other writers on a regular basis. On the whole, it provides comprehensive information and covers practices in marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, SEO and social media.

• Institute for Public Relations’ Research Conversations

Institute for Public Relations is a non-profit organisation that is geared towards researching the industry. Its blog is particularly helpful if one wants in-depth studies done on a variety of PR industry related subjects and topics. They provide timely insights that deal with current trends that are especially helpful for PR professionals who want to stay on the pulse of the industry. Most articles have been penned by scholars and Ph.D. holders and include well-researched information with relevant infographics containing statistics, with proper citations. In addition to the blog, their website has a separate segment for their research with topics ranging from public affairs to media relations. The best part about it is, the research is free for everyone.

While all these blogs offer some great reads, this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list. Be on the lookout for other online spaces such as emerging blogs that churn out quality content or even niche blogs that focus on your area of interest in PR. Trends change, times change, and new or updated content is the best way to keep track of what’s going on in the field. To keep your go-to reading list fresh, continue exploring!

Asif Upadhye

Director at SPRD

Asif Upadhye, Director, SPRD | Stories.PR.Digital, a new-age Public Relations think tank backed by ideators, wordsmiths and design junkies focussed on delivering bespoke services. He sees SPRD as a Digital First Communications agency that partners with Public Relations & Corporate Communications teams to spread the good word!